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Dave was born and raised in Cumbria and admits to being something of a hell-raiser as a teenager. One of his early ambitions was to be a professional musician, but when the band collapsed, so did his desire to make it in the music business. For a time he considered a boxing career but that too was cut short after he sustained damage to his jaw.

Looking for an alternative career, he'd always been interested in writing and was drawn to the media, becoming a trainee feature writer with the local paper in Carlisle. Within two weeks of starting his new job he moved from writing features about weddings to crime reporting often sitting in on murder cases at the local courts.

As a journalist, he says he learned his craft the old school way. Meeting people in pubs, knocking on doors and chasing a story, following in the footsteps of the old Fleet Street hacks. These days, with the advent of technology he says the way journalists work has changed dramatically. He says most good stories come from face-to-face conversations, an option often denied the journalists of today due to time constraints and the prevalence of new devices.

His early career as a journalist has had dramatic impact on him. After years of speaking to bereaved relatives he's now moved away from this area of reporting to stories not involving so much personal tragedy. Currently as a journalist based in Howden with the Press Association, he's more interested in television, writing articles syndicated to a number of outlets.

Although Dave hasn't forgotten his background completely, his experience as a reporter has helped him write two crime novels. He says getting a book published is extremely difficult and has experienced rejection but is sure a deal is imminent for his work.

Dave's current job has recently presented him with an unusual opportunity. Thanks to his television contacts, he and his partner are trekking in Machu Pichu in 2009 with the actor Brian Blessed. They are doing it to raise money for the Dogs for the Disabled charity of which Blessed is the Vice-Patron.

Dave was fortunate to interview Blessed recently and is following the story by accompanying the actor on the trek. Dave's preparing for the trek by doing lots of walking, particularly around Flamborough and Bempton.

Dave is used to adverse conditions. The main image on this page was taken by his partner during the Hull floods of 2007. Dave's experience was a personal one involving his daughter and a woman whom he rescued from the bonnet of her car. The woman was panicking at the sight of the rising flood waters. Dave tells of how he carried his daughter over one shoulder and the woman over the other whilst he waded waist deep to drier land.

He says the picture shows the reflection of the arch of a bridge in the still flood waters giving the optical illusion of a perfect circle almost hanging in mid-air. An eerie echo of the surreal nature of the floods which affected so many people on the city.